Aanchal Gupta

I just finished watching Umesh Shukla's 2023 comedy-drama, Aankh Micholi - BEST CLEAN COMEDY MOVIE IN THE LAST 5 YEARS! I am really happy to see wonderful movies like Aankh Micholi. In times when comedy has often married the horror genre, my family and I had been having a hard time with finding a well-made comedy movie that was free of vulgar gags, jumpscares and scatterbrained plots. So we are glad (and relieved) to have found this absolute bag of laughs, no doubt! With skillful acting chops brought onto the screen by established actors like Paresh Rawal, Darshan Jariwala, Sharman Joshi, Divya Dutta and Vijay Raaz, the comic timings and dialogues made the movie a laughter riot. Personally, I really liked the chemistry between the beautiful Mrunal Thakur and the charming Abhimanyu Dasani, while Abhishek Banerjee shone bright in his lovable, protective elder brother role. Vijay Raaz was, as usual, a key ingredient in this recipe for comic drama. Coming to the plot, I found the story idea to be fresh and unique - the groom can't see during the day and the bride can't see at night! Hilarity ensues as they and their family members try to keep their conditional blindness under wraps from each other! Goldie (Ricky Patel) was a riot with his antics, and Billo-ji, the perfect gasoline to light the fire under Papaji, Yuvraj and Bhajji Chachu's butts in keeping the drama simmering. My favourite comedy scenes include the "haunted" jeep roaming the roads and the unexpected yet laugh-out-loud twist at the end of the climax. Props to the writer, Jitendra Parmar, for a well-written comedy screenplay. Last, but not the least, the music by Sachin-Jigar sounded great and really uplifted the movie, especially the title track and "Ve Dholna". All in all, A MUST-WATCH COMEDY FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!!! 💯😁😍🙌🏼🔥 *Added to my Anytime Watch List of Movies*

I have just watched a movie that sparkles as bright as the glass slipper it's known for, and yes, you're right! It's Camilla Cabello's Cinderella! Kay Cannon, the director of Pitch Perfect, has done her magic again, for her Cinderella more than lives up to its promise of being "a modern movie musical with a bold take on the classical fairy-tale". It breaks the fairytale mold in various ways: It has an ambitious Ella with big dreams to accompany her fabled kindness, who's not afraid to put them first; it has a prince (Robert) who knows what (and who) he wants and chooses how he wants to live his life. The makers' have also added quite a few new characters to convey their important message about women empowerment, chasing your dreams, racism, and gender fluidity, such as Princess Gwendolyn, sister to Prince Robert and a brilliantly deserving queen-in-the-making; Queen Beatrice, mother to Prince Robert and a strong lady not afraid to stand up for herself; and Queen Tatiana, who gives Ella her break as a dressmaker. Unlike many movies with white-dominated casts, I loved that Cinderella has black actors playing various important roles, such as Ella's gender-fluid Fabulous Godparent (played by Billy Porter) and Queen Tatiana (played by Beverley Knight); the presence of a confident bald princess in the main ball scene also depicts the makers' efforts towards acceptance of baldness in society and reiterates that baldness can be beautiful too. Among the many changes, I really liked that Idina Menzel's character Vivian, cynical stepmother to Ella, got her happy ending too as she was a talented pianist whose dreams were snuffed out by patriarchal society, only to be reawakened by Ella's encouragement at the end. James Corben, with 2 other comedians, adds laughter to the mix with his role of James, the mouse; the scene where the trio of mice explore their humanity as footmen outside the palace alludes to the makers' attention to detail as it's only natural for newly-transformed mice to be curious about their new forms, an instance missing from 2015's Cinderella, with the mice, lizards and the goose. Well, enough about the plot! With great singers like Camilla Cabello and Idina Menzel on-board, each song of Cinderella would surely stick in its viewers' heads for a long time, especially "A Million To One" and "Let's Get Loud". With regard to the actors, I must applaud the cast for their acting chops, as they have made each character their own, wonderfully bringing them to life. I, for one, have just found my favourite musical movie and after giving this amazing movie a chance, I'm sure that you will too. So, go watch this gem of a fairy-tale retelling on Amazon Prime today! (Written on 5th September)